Dwight l



(No Model.)

B. L. SMITH.

BUCKLE.

Patented May 20 N. PETERS, Pmw-Limu hw. Washington. D c,

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arnr DlVIGHT L. SMITH, OF VVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE YVATERBURY BUCKLE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECJEPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 299,028, dated May 20, 1884.

Application filed April 5. 1884.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dwrerrr L SMITH, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Suspender-Buckles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a front view; Fig. 2, an end view; Fig. 3, .a rear view; Fig. 4, a vertical central section; Fig. 5, the frame as cut complete from sheet metal; Fig. 6, the lever as cut from sheet metal; Fig. 7 the frame with the ears turned backward and over into the position to engage the lever; Figs. 8, 9, and 10, modifications.

This invention relates to an improvement in buckles forsuspenders and like purposes, and particularly to that class which are formed from a plate with a clamping-lever upon the back, and so that the plate will lie in front of the suspender, the suspender itself passing between the plate and the lever; and the invention consists in the construction hereinafter described, and more particularly recited in the claim.

A represents the plate or frame of the buckle, which is made from sheet metal, and so as to present substantially a flat surface, with slots a longitudinally through the plate to form longitudinal bars b c.

The blank is cut, as seen in Fig. 5, with an ear, d, projecting to the right and left sub stantially in line with the bar I). At the extreme end of each of these cars a notch, e, is cutlongitudinallyinward. The cars are then bent backward at right angles to the plate, and then turned inward, as seen in Fig. 7 both into the same plane, and parallel with the plate, but a little distance therefrom.

B is the lever, also cut from sheet metal, and with a notch, h, at each end corresponding to the notches e in the ears, distant from the edge of the lever substantially the distance between the plate and the ears when turned over, and thedistance across the lever from notch to notch issubstantially equal to the distance be tween the bottom of the notches in the two cars. The edge of the lever is turned at right (No model.)

angles to form the cam-like jaw (See Fig. 4.) The lever is introduced onto the back of the plate at the time the cars d d are bent over, and so that the notches on the ears interlock with the notches on the lever, as seen in Fig. 3, thus engaging the lever with the plate, the notches being sufficiently large to permit the lever to turn freely as upon a hingein fact, the notches in the ears and the notches in the lever form the hinge upon which the lever turns. By this construction a very cheap lever-buckle is produced, and which is also strong and durable.

The faceof the buckle may be highly finished, and give to it the appearance of the most expensive class of buckles.

\Vhile I prefer to construct the frame with ears d narrower than thewidth of the frame, as seen in Fig. 5, the ears may extend the full width of the frame. as seen in Fig. 8, broken lines indicating the point of turning the ears, then the ears turned over the same,- as in Fig. 7, will present the sides of the buckle without break, as seen in Fig. 9.

Instead of making notches in each end of the buckle-lever to correspond to the notches e in the ears, the tongue may be cut as seen in Fig. 10, leaving simply shoulders in place of the notches h. The tongue being bent, the shoulders will lie in the notches, and after the parts are once set together the lever cannot be removed. It is only necessary, therefore, that there shall be a bearing formed on. the lever to engage the notches in the ears.

The buckle herein described, consisting of the plate A, provided with ears (1 (l at the right and left, each of said ears constructed with a notch, 0, combined with the lever B, con structed with bearings corresponding to said notch es 6 in the ears, the ears turned backward and over into a plane parallel with the plane of the frame, the lever introduced between them, the notches on the ears interlocking with the lever, and substantially as and for the purpose described.

DVIGHT L. SMITH.

Witnesses:

E. A. SMITH, Gno. E. TERRY. 

